Scout Motors assembly line workers working earlier this year inside the electric vehicle maker’s new on-site training facility in Blythewood, South Carolina. South Carolina had the largest percentage growth in jobs among states. (Photo by Jessica Holdman/SC Daily Gazette)Nine states and the District of Columbia lost jobs in the year ending in September, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce, the District of Columbia suffered the largest percentage job loss, down 3.5% or 25,800 jobs. Montana, which lost jobs for the first time since 2020, shed 1% of its total workforce, or 5,300 jobs. Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia all experienced declines of less than 1%.
The state that gained the most jobs was South Carolina, up 2.3% or 55,200 jobs, followed by Louisiana (up 1.8% or 36,000), and Nevada (up or 1.6% or 25,300).
South Carolina’s job growth was concentrated in construction, health care, and leisure and hospitality, said William Floyd, the state’s employment and workforce executive director, in a statement.
In addition, car parts manufacturers in the state have been ramping up to supply a planned Scout Motors factory, which has already begun training workers. Hiring also has begun for a new BMW battery factory.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include Maryland in the list of states with job declines. Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Missouri Independent, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
